NFC West OddsBy Dan the Man Leach Seattle Seahawks -$330 / 10.5wins: (wagerweb.com odds to win division / regular-season wins): The Seahawks think they can improve on last year's Super Bowl runner-up finish, but they will have a little stiffer competition within their division and from their first-place schedule. This team does have what it takes to respond to those hurdles in one of the best RBs of this era in Shaun Alexander and one of the most consistent QBs in the NFL in Matt Hasselbeck. If the defense can play consistently and force turnovers like it did last year, Seattle could be headed to Miami in February. Arizona Cardinals +$350 / 8 wins: The Cards got a steal in getting QB Matt Leinart No. 10 overall in this year's NFL Draft, and now that he is signed they can start looking to the future. Leinart might not be the man this year, but the downtrodden Cardinals organization might finally have some hope to go along with a beautiful new stadium. This will be a pivotal year for Coach Dennis Green and the Cards, and the addition of RB Edgerrin James from the Colts is the biggest free-agent signing ever for this team. Look for this talented offense to score points in bunches and create some excitement in the Valley of the Sun for the first time in a while. St. Louis Rams +$550/7 wins: New coach Scott Linehan already is ahead of the game compared to last year because the owner of the franchise actually likes him, which believe it or not goes a long way in today's NFL. Gone is "Mad Scientist" Mike Martz, who, to be blunt, was despised by ownership at the end. Linehan will bring a discipline and focus the Rams have lacked in recent years, and even without star RB Marshall Faulk, the Rams' running game won't skip a beat with the emergence of Steven Jackson. The big issue is the defense, which has several holes and not very much depth. This will be a year of feeling out the new coaching staff and new system. San Francisco 49ers +$5000/5 wins: Is Alex Smith the future of this franchise? We will most likely find out the answer to that question by midseason. Granted, Smith has very high expectations for a kid in his second NFL season, but when you are the No. 1 overall pick and play for a once-proud franchise that has been a shade of its former self in recent years, patience is not as much of a virtue as it should be. Smith will have more weapons this year, including monstrous TE Vernon Davis, and the defense should be improved. Nonetheless, Mike Nolan and the coaching staff have their work cut out for them as the Niners are still are a few years from being a contending team. 
--- by Dan the Man Leach at 1800-sports.com on August 22, 2006
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